prismaticbleed | Advent study devotion day 02 (Reply)

"Make a list of as many things as you can think of to thank God for in your life. Write down ways you can show your gratitude to God this week in your actions."

Gratitude, like faith, must be acted upon. God has blessed us profoundly & profusely, in both large & little ways. Every single one is a work of Love on His part, and is so worth thanking Him for-- but how often do we do so? Yes, we may intellectually be grateful for our family, but do we regularly serve them, listen to them, & love them tangibly in response? We may indeed be grateful for having food & clothing, but do we value the gift more than the Giver even so? Do we share what we have? Do we eat and dress to His Glory?

What sincerity is in our gratitude if we do not treat those things, and all others, as the treasures we name them as?

Christmas is inherently inundated with thankfulness, founded in the keen cognizance of our utter poverty & powerlessness without God's gracious giving-- embodied most strikingly and totally in the Gift of His Son. It is from HIM that we receive all we have in life-- both materially & spiritually. Let us show our gratitude by how we LIVE that life!